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Helping people make a new start after leaving prison.

What a difference a year makes

1st January 2019

Our volunteers worked with Amy after release from prison in May 2017. She was very distressed and drank a lot of alcohol to try to blot out the pain she felt. On one occasion she took an overdose, intending to end it all, but her life was saved by the swift action of her mentor. Amy explains more…

“When I came out of prison I was in a very bad place. Everything was in a mess. If it weren’t for my SWCC mentors, I would be back in prison, or I wouldn’t be here at all. I’ve been able to talk about some emotionally devastating times, but Bev and Malcolm, my mentors, were there holding my hand, walking me through it, encouraging me. ‘You can do this,’ Bev would say.

Every week, before my visits at the contact centre we’d meet for coffee and they’d then drop me off at the centre, which made all the difference. They’ve encouraged me enormously in my faith too. A year on, and I can’t believe the difference. I now have regular contact with my boys, and my daughter is with me all the time. I’m about to start my hairdressing qualification, I’ve got a safe house (it’s quite posh!), a car and a dog! Bev and Malcolm have been such good friends to me, and I am so grateful.”

South West Community Chaplaincy (SWCC) is a team of professionals and trained volunteer mentors who work with adults of all ages in prisons across the South West of England. We’re there for people in the run up to their release from prison, supporting them to make a positive plan for their future. When they leave prison, we work with them to rebuild their lives in the community.

We bring tailored support, through our partnerships with different organisations, helping people to find work and build new relationships. Our aim is to show people who have received or served a sentence that a different life is possible – then we empower them to achieve it.

While we are a faith organisation, we work with people of all faiths or none. We bring a committed and non-judgemental approach, and hope for each person’s future.